Archive

  • Time to wake up to the bridges scandal

    HIGHWAYS officials last night urged the Government to sort out the funding mess that is preventing urgent safety repairs to scores of crumbling railway bridges. As Gary Hart begins a five-year jail sentence for causing the Selby rail crash, an unseemly

  • Mum plans cancer trek as tribute

    A NORTH-EAST mother-of-two who lost her father to cancer is to trek 100km along the Great Wall of China in his memory. Sandra Gray, of Stockton, on Teesside, will travel to the East for a ten-day trekking adventure at the end of May, in a bid to raise

  • Metro's £6.45m for CCTV cameras

    THE Tyne and Wear Metro is to get the country's biggest single investment in CCTV cameras. The Home Office is putting up £6.45m to fit cameras in all 58 stations on the system, including the Sunderland extension due to open in March. The scheme is an

  • Before the sap starts rising...

    WHILE the weather is cold and fruit trees and bushes are resting, they should be pruned. It will not be long before dormant buds show signs of growth. In the case of stone fruits, like cherries and plums, it is essential to complete pruning before there

  • Lee rescues point for Pools

    HARTLEPOOL United secured a late point at home to ten-man Shrewsbry in a game they should have had sewn up by half-time. Graeme Lee levelled on 89 minutes to rescue Pool, but they should not have needed his late header to avoid defeat. Gordon Watson put

  • Man held makeshift flame thrower in stand-off

    ARMED police were involved in a stand-off as a man holding a knife, and then a makeshift "flame thrower", issued threats from a flat above shops, Durham Crown Court heard yesterday Police arrived at Cheveley Park flats in Belmont, Durham, to be greeted

  • McClaren is happy to follow Robson's lead

    STEVE McCLAREN admits he has been forced to take a leaf out of Bobby Robson's book at Newcastle in a bid to rebuild Middlesbrough's fortunes. Manager McClaren inherited one of the biggest squads in the country from free-spending predecessor Bryan Robson

  • Man jailed for 'nightmare' robbery

    A knife-wielding robber who took part in a day-light raid at a rural village post office has been jailed for six-and-a-half years. Robert Ingham, 28, pleaded guilty to robbery after his DNA was found in a stocking mask left in a getaway car. His accomplice

  • Hard man, soft centre

    Ten in the morning in a posh London hotel suite and the actor usually defined as "the hard man of British film" is tucking into a bacon sandwich and talking fondly of acting with his daughter in his latest film Last Orders. He is neatly turned out in

  • Zoe's school pals to taste TV fame

    EXCITED pupils from a North-East school will have an extra-special reason to watch Pop Idol's Zoe Birkett on TV tonight. Youngsters at Darlington's Carmel RC Technology College will be glued to their sets in the hope of catching a glimpse of themselves

  • Dabizas warns Leeds to cut out the rough stuff

    NEWCASTLE defender Nikos Dabizas has warned leaders Leeds that their rough house tactics could cost them the Premiership title. Greek strongman Dabizas is speaking from first-hand experience after being the victim of a horror tackle by Leeds striker Mark

  • Health and safety quiz win for pupils

    PRIMARY school pupils are celebrating after winning a health and safety quiz. Swalwell Primary triumphed over competitors from seven other Gateshead primaries to lift the trophy for the annual Gateshead Council Children's Health and Safety quiz. The youngsters

  • Inquest told of lack of lights at junction

    THE family of a pedestrian who was killed in a road accident vowed yesterday to find out why the junction where he died was in darkness, despite roadworks being there at the time. Bricklayer Geoffrey Lishman, 46, of Millfield Road, Fishburn, was in collision

  • Magpies go top

    Newcastle ousted Leeds at the top of the Premiership as second half goals by Kieron Dyer and Craig Bellamy clinched victory in an explosive encounter at St James' Park. Dyer, who spent nearly 10 months on the sidelines after undergoing two operations

  • Five years - 'but the victims received life'

    RELATIVES of victims and survivors of the Selby rail disaster last night criticised the five-year sentence handed down to the man who caused the crash. Builder Gary Hart, 37, of Strubby, Lincolnshire, showed little emotion as he was sentenced at Leeds

  • Asbestos fear over homes scheme

    PEOPLE fear asbestos buried in a waste heap on a disused Darlington industrial estate will be unearthed when the area is redeveloped. A second meeting of the Cockerton Area Action Group, set up by residents to help to improve the area, discussed the proposed

  • Road campaigner supports proposed A64 improvements

    A MAN whose son was almost hit by a van on a notorious road has welcomed plans to improve the highway. Roads bosses have outlined safety plans for the A64 through Sherburn, after Gordon Mallon collected more than 300 signatures from concerned villagers

  • Councils tipped for local authority 'Oscars'

    TWO North-East councils are in the running for the title of the UK's leading local authority after being shortlisted for a national award yesterday. Stockton Borough Council and Sunderland City Council are two of five local authorities shortlisted for

  • MP backs furniture firm's expansion plans

    A FURNITURE manufacturer with plans to create more than 100 jobs has opened its new premises. Houghton and Washington East MP Fraser Kemp did the honours at Sheraton's of Politura, in Hetton-le-Hole. With assistance from Business Link Tyne and Wear and

  • Romeo robber caught

    A ROMEO robber was arrested after he gave his telephone number to a girl who later recognised his face on a TV police appeal. Mark Wharton, 31, had carried out a knifepoint street robbery in Newcastle and made off with a ring. The city's crown court heard

  • Look out for festive shopping report

    NEWS flow from the high street reaches its peak next week with Christmas trading statements from some of the sector's biggest names. Coupled with an update from troubled telecom stock Marconi, the week promises to be one of the busiest in the City for

  • Courses organised to lead youngsters outdoors

    OFF site training courses for people who take youngsters out into the country are being organised by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. The authority's Youth and Community Service team in partnership with the Cleveland Scouts and other Tees Valley

  • Union flag thieves condemned

    THIEVES have stolen a union flag erected in memory of soldiers who gave their lives in defence of their country. Loftus Town Council put up its Union Jack flag for Remembrance Sunday back in November as part of the town's services for remembering its

  • Chance to tap into musical talents

    DARLINGTON people will be urged to "feel the beat" at a drum workshop on Tuesday. The session, which takes place at the town's Circulation Recording Studios, is part of the CircLearning initiative, which has been designed to help people develop their

  • Income support triggers help

    QOur combined weekly state pensions are £130.25 and I have a monthly works pension of £43.64. We have £6,000 saved and my wife gets full Attendance Allowance. What help can we get? AIncome Support of just £0.27 a week but this gives you a maximum rebate

  • Why did the naked woman chase the chicken?

    WHILST it may be an improbable beginning, even for the At Your Service column, readers are invited to name the offence for which medieval French women were required to run naked through the streets whilst chasing a chicken. That sentence complete, we

  • Pistol charges denied

    A man has appeared in court charged with attempted murder and a string of firearms offences. Britton Corner denied the charges, which all relate to the same incident on April 14, last year, during a hearing at Newcastle Crown Court, yesterday. The 40-

  • First knight at the theatre

    The world's second most performed playwrite, after Shakespeare, has been chosen to open the North-East's newest venue. Viv Hardwick talks to Sir Alan Ayckbourn. A QUEST indeed. Damsels In Distress and a knight in shining armour have entered the lists

  • It's just what the doctor ordered

    AFTER quarter of a century working as a GP in an end-of-terrace house in a former pit village it was something of a red letter day for Dr Pathikonda Nath MBE when his £300,000 surgery officially opened. But even he could not have expected one of the most

  • Hopes for recruit to sniff out dealers

    POLICE hope to collar drug dealers in North Durham with the help of a new canine recruit. The Durham and Chester-le-Street division is seeking £40,000 from a Government fund for its own silent "scanner" dog. Scanner dogs are trained to sniff out drugs

  • Workers rescue young hedgehog

    STAFF at a residential home in County Durham put their life saving skills to the test recently when a young hedgehog was found in the grounds of the home. Kitchen assistant Colin Slowther spotted the hedgehog in distress at Helen McArdle's Westerleigh

  • Turner hoping to continue where in-form Pool left off

    CHRIS Turner is urging his players to carry on from where they left off when they entertain Shrewsbury this afternoon. Pool's last outing in a festive programme wrecked by the big freeze saw them turn in arguably their best show of the season in beating

  • City answers TV question

    POLITICAL issues of the day will be thrashed out when the BBC's Question Time discussion programme is screened from the North-East later this month. Sunderland's Crowtree Leisure Centre, where the first results at the last three General Elections were

  • Suspended sentence for drugs offender

    A MAN who admitted having more than £500 of cannabis in his house avoided being sent to prison yesterday. Stephen Boagey, 45, of Caithness Road, Hartlepool, admitted being in possession of a class B drug with intent to supply. David Brooke, prosecuting

  • Village 'poison pen' drops legal bid

    THE Manfield poison pen letter writer has abandoned his latest efforts to have his conviction overturned. Having had one application for leave to appeal rejected by a senior judge, Dr James Forster lodged a second bid with the Royal Courts of Justice,

  • Jail ordeal goes on for deaf aid worker as appeal fails

    The family of a deaf British charity worker jailed for ten years in India for possessing cannabis have vowed to continue their fight to clear his name. Ian Stillman, 51, from York, lost his appeal against conviction after a High Court judge in India rejected

  • Opportunity for designers to win awards

    A NEW scheme is being set up in east Cleveland to reward good design. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is bringing together a panel of expert judges, with representatives from architecture, landscape, surveying and planning to award plaques and certificates

  • Information on future of homes given in roadshows

    COUNCIL tenants in the Stockton area can find out more about the future of their homes from information roadshows next week. Stockton Borough Council is staging a series of roadshows on a proposal, known as Arms Length, which will change the management

  • Toddler loses brave fight with tumour

    A TODDLER lost her battle with a brain tumour shortly after opening her presents on her second birthday. Zoe Guest, of Ingleby Barwick, Teesside, died in her mother's arms at Newcastle General Hospital, on New Year's Eve. Her parents, Joanne, 27, and

  • Ducros sinks Quakers

    A very weak Darlington performance resulted in a 1-0 defeat at Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday. Quakers only created one shot on target, that coming in the last minute from David Brightwell. The home side easily dealt with anything Darlington could

  • Separate jabs offer prompts concern

    HEALTH professionals have expressed major worries over a private clinic that is offering separate measles, mumps and rubella injections for North-East children. Concerned parents have been swamping Darlington's private Woodlands Hospital for the separate

  • 'Fans' frustrations are understandable' - Quinn

    REPUBLIC of Ireland international Niall Quinn admitted last night that Sunderland fans had the right to be angry about the team's recent performances. "The fans aren't paying to support us - they are paying to be entertained and we haven't entertained

  • How to spend steel millions

    PROPOSALS are to be put together on how millions of pounds of forgotten cash for steel areas could be spent. Last week, The Northern Echo revealed how Steel Action, a coalition of local authorities in steel-making areas, claimed £50m of vital Government

  • Work to clear way for £8.5m community hospital begins

    WORK on a £8.5m community hospital in the heart of a County Durham market town has moved a step closer. With the last of the staff and patients transferred from Chester-le-Street's old hospital into temporary ward facilities at the town's Highfield Hospital

  • Man -cultivated' schoolboy to molest him in tree house

    A CHILD abuser who used a tree house in which to sexually attack a schoolboy was jailed yesterday for three years and 11 months. York Crown Court heard how 61-year-old Rodney Lee Moody had been a well respected member of society. But for nearly two years

  • Residents to get more car parking space

    MORE space for car parking is on the way for Hartlepool residents. A number of grassed and asphalt verges in the Owton and Rossmere areas will be converted to car parking spaces in a project funded by the Owton Rossmere Single Regeneration Budget partnership

  • Valuation days for Beatles memorabilia

    NORTH-EAST fans of The Beatles could be sitting on a tidy sum of cash. Memorabilia from the early days of the Fab Four's fame could be worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds. This weekend a firm specialising in buying memorabilia is holding valuation

  • Happy Haslam builds on successful year

    HOUSEBUILDER Haslam Homes plans to invest a further £4m in the region, following one of its most successful years to date. The housebuilder, which opened a regional base in the Team Valley in Gateshead in 1995, will invest £4m in new housing developments

  • Solution to congestion -held back by councillors'

    PLANS to sort out traffic congestion are in a pickle because of two squabbling council leaders, claims a shadow government minister. The Government recently threw out plans for an East Middlesbrough Bypass saying a case had not been proved. For months

  • Free chance to find key to computers

    PEOPLE are being offered the chance to unravel the myst-eries of computer technology. Gilesgate Community and Welfare Association is running three free courses covering a range of computer subjects at Gilesgate Sports College, in Bradford Crescent, Durham

  • Cabbie held up with tin of tuna

    Taxi driver Michael Luke was stunned when a passenger tried to hold up his cab - with a tin of tuna. Gary Hutchinson warned Mr Luke he had a "shooter" before demanding he hand over his takings after directing him to a deserted road. The 29-year-old then

  • Drive to expand youth theatre opportunities

    YOUTH theatre groups in Darlington are oversubscribed, leaving some children unable to take to the stage. But efforts are under way to try to resolve the situation and allow more youngsters to take part in drama activities. Simon Gibson, leader of the

  • Cheap booze offers labelled irresponsible by police chief

    CHEAP booze offers have sparked outrage in a town with licensees labelled "irresponsible'' by one police chief. Concerned at some Middlesbrough town centre pubs selling drink for as little as 50p on a Monday evening and £1 on other nights of the week,

  • Teenager locked up for gang attack on young bar worker

    A TEENAGE gang set on a young bar worker for no reason, injuring his shoulder, a court heard yesterday. Dominic Finley, 19, of Thrush Road, Redcar, east Cleveland, admitted causing grievous bodily harm to barman Richard Whitely. Shaun Dryden, prosecuting

  • Friends' spree ended in tragedy, inquest told

    TWO teenage friends killed instantly when a car crashed into a tree had earlier dragged a 14-year-old out of the driving seat, an inquest heard yesterday. Driver Floyd Sendel, 17, and his 16-year-old passenger Tony Ayre, who lived two doors from each

  • MP_impressed by what care home has to offer

    CARE home residents have been showing off their new facilities to Government Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong. The South West Durham MP was given a guided tour of the newly built Southfield Lodge Residential Care Home in Crook yesterday. She last visited the

  • Hard man, soft centre

    Ten in the morning in a posh London hotel suite and the actor usually defined as "the hard man of British film" is tucking into a bacon sandwich and talking fondly of acting with his daughter in his latest film Last Orders. He is neatly turned out in

  • Pollution with no clear solution

    STUDIES into the levels of chemicals in the rivers Tees and Skerne have revealed a trail of pollution stretching out into the North Sea. Research by the Government's Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture, in 1999, said it was likely the brominated

  • Parents fight for school places

    ANGRY parents are launching a battle against their local education authority because they fear that village children could be refused secondary school places nearby. The headteacher at Wolsingham School and Community College and Durham County Council,

  • Sarah's tragic fight to the last

    A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl died in her mother's arms after suffering a massive asthma attack. As Sarah Smyth desperately gasped for air she told her mother: "Mummy, I can't do it any more." Sarah was diagnosed with asthma when she was seven months old. She

  • Mowden shuffle pack as Falcons recall Dowson

    DARLINGTON Mowden Park have been left to ponder the value of taking players on loan after Newcastle Falcons recalled back row man Phil Dowson. The No 8 joined Mowden along with prop James Isaacson last month, supposedly until the end of the season, although

  • Skateboard park hopes fade as residents raise concerns

    A campaign to raise £100,000 to create a skateboard park for fed-up youngsters could suffer a surprise setback. Plans to build the park and cycle track in Thirsk have been opposed by many residents, as well as by local councillors. Their fears about the

  • Cottagers fightback sinks Boro

    Middlesbrough remain perilously close to the relegation zone after they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Jean Tigana's Fulham on Saturday. The newly promoted Cottages thoroughly deserved their win despite suffering an early setback when Colin Cooper put the visitors

  • New funding hope for free parking idea

    TOWN centre bosses hoping to introduce a free parking pilot scheme are hoping the Countryside Agency will fund the idea. The scheme, which would allow motorists free parking in Wentworth Street, Malton, for a limited period, is expected to cost approximately

  • £6m boost to build up flood defences

    THE Environment Agency announced plans last night to boost spending on flood defence schemes for the region. The agency said that more than £6m was due to be spent in the next financial year on a number of projects. It has also agreed an 18 per cent increase

  • Council chooses sites for new care homes

    THREE areas of open space have been identified for development as residential care homes. Darlington Borough Council has given notice of its intentions for the sites, all in the east of the town, and is in talks with potential providers. The council has

  • Sewage meeting

    Campaign group Marske Against Raw Sewage Klean Environment meets tomorrow, at 6pm, at 35 Headlands, Marske, to discuss proposals from Northumbrian Water for the sewage works in the east Cleveland seaside town. The meeting will also discuss the forthcoming

  • Hear All Sides

    Letters from The Northern Echo METRIC MARTYRS THERE is still a lot of confusion and misinformation in the public domain with regard to the prosecution of the Metric Martyrs. Steven Thoburn was prosecuted for weighing a pound of bananas on a set of scales

  • Airports recovery goes on

    THE UK's major airports continued their recovery last month as people chose to fly away for Christmas and New Year. Despite the impact of the September 11 atrocities, airports operator BAA said 8.2 million passengers passed through its seven airports

  • Grant aid awards for stone wall restoration

    NATIONAL Park chiefs say they have battled back from the foot-and-mouth disease crisis to restore dozens of historic barns and walls. The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is on track to give grant aid to 19 barn conservation projects and rebuild

  • Why did the naked woman chase the chicken?

    WHILST it may be an improbable beginning, even for the At Your Service column, readers are invited to name the offence for which medieval French women were required to run naked through the streets whilst chasing a chicken. That sentence complete, we

  • Drivers alerted to new signals

    MOTORISTS are being urged to take extra caution driving through a North-East town while a series of experimental traffic signals are put into place. The signals will be at the junction between Bow Street and Church Street, in Guisborough, east Cleveland

  • Quakers boss Taylor happy to have selection headache

    TOMMY Taylor last night welcomed the return of five players ahead of a hectic spell of fixtures. Taylor takes his Darlington side to Kidderminster this afternoon, boosted by the return of Brian Atkinson, Mark Ford, Simon Betts, Richard Hodgson and Phil

  • Politicians to join boycott campaign

    TWO politicians moved by the plight of a family whose son died while on a Greek holiday will today urge holidaymakers to avoid the Mediterranean country. North Durham MP Kevan Jones and North-East MEP Stephen Hughes will join Pam and George Cummings in

  • Dance scholarships for students

    TEN students from the Born To Dance group in Darlington have been awarded scholarships by the British Theatre Dance Association. The girls had to take part in a day of lectures and interviews in Sunderland as part of the application process. Seven pupils

  • Schools chosen to pioneer learning of future

    THREE schools are to help pioneer 21st Century high-technology learning. Durham County Council has won £1m from the Government to develop classrooms of the future at Escomb Primary School, near Bishop Auckland, and at New Seaham Primary and Easington

  • Cutting edge of fashion to help charity

    A CANCER charity is offering people the chance to get a new look for this year and help a worthy cause. Marie Curie Cancer Care is holding the Saks Hair Salon and Image On Personal Colour and Style Consultant evening at the Saks hair Salon, in Front Street

  • £2m pot to create safer streets

    A £2M scheme to tackle road safety blackspots across the region has been given the go-ahead. Transport Minister Sally Keeble announced the winners of the £30m Home Zones Challenge yesterday - with five North-East projects set to benefit. Darlington, Middlesbrough

  • Missing woman found in school

    FELL rescuers and police were yesterday praised after working through the night to locate a confused woman, within hours of her going missing. The 56-year-old Alzheimer's sufferer was found cowering for warmth in a classroom doorway in a locked compound

  • Does environment watchdog have at times to wear a muzzle?

    WHEN the Environment Agency was born on April Fool's Day, 1996, it pledged to get tough with those polluting the region. And while it has won praise for its role as the environmental watchdog, some fear it is sometimes forced to use restraint when confronted

  • Inquiry to probe issues of epidemic

    THE devastating effects of foot-and-mouth will be dissected when an independent inquiry gets under way in the county where the epidemic started. From Monday, more than 70 people, including farmers, vets, tourism bosses, parish councillors and auction

  • Who pulls the pints row splits a village

    A VILLAGE is divided after the entire bar staff of a workingmen's club walked out in protest over the club steward being suspended. Members are boycotting Langley Park club, near Durham City, after club secretary Keith Reay suspended steward Malcolm Jones

  • Focus should be on cutting crime says survey

    CUTTING crime and promoting community safety should be the main priorities for Darlington Borough Council this year, according to a community survey. More than 60 per cent of the 1,020 Darlington residents interviewed believe the fight against crime is

  • UK sigh of relief as Ford axe falls

    FORD workers in the UK are expected to escape the axe, after the US motor giant announced plans to shed 35,000 jobs worldwide. The car manufacturer is closing five production plants in the US and shedding the jobs as part of a "painful" restructuring

  • Recycling boost is on the cards

    PUPILS in primary schools in the Stockton area are being urged to think green and hang on to their old Christmas cards this year. Many primary schools are collecting cards for recycling, and youngsters are being asked to deliver their festive greetings

  • Traffic-calming plan made public

    PLANS to develop a traffic-calming scheme in a village are about to be put to the public. North Yorkshire County Council is hoping to improve road safety for both pedestrians and motorists in Brompton-on-Swale, in Richmondshire. The authority is sending

  • Roads to close during market place revamp

    THE completion of the latest phase of a market place revamp scheme will lead to the closure of several one-way streets in the centre of Ripon. Starting next Saturday, the three-week closure order will affect High Skellgate, Westgate, Market Place West

  • Store staff trained to use heart machines

    THE Galleries is the latest North-East shopping centre to be equipped with electrical heart-start machines. Staff at the Washington centre have been working on the Heartstart project for nearly a year, alongside the British Heart Foundation, Sunderland

  • Comment from The Northern Echo - Safety bill must be met

    GARY Hart will be tormented by the constant reminder of the Selby tragedy for the rest of his life. But so, too, will the families of the ten people killed as a consequence of his actions. We understand the anger that, while the prison sentence reflects

  • 'Juror relationship led to trial being stopped'

    THE trial of football fans accused of hooliganism at two railway stations was abandoned after a former defendant started a relationship with a juror hearing the case of his co-accused. Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that the trial of four Hartlepool

  • Computers due to shape the future of learning

    THREE County Durham schools are to help pioneer 21st Century learning. Durham County Council has won £1m from the Government to develop Classrooms of the Future at Escomb Primary School, near Bishop Auckland, and at New Seaham Primary and Easington Community